Shangri-La
Trip Start
Jun 10, 2010
1
11
13
Trip End
Jul 06, 2010
Where I stayed
What I did
Yanuca Island, Viti Levu, Fiji
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Breakfast in the morning was excellent, on an open deck overlooking the water. Service very very attentive. We then drove to Sigatoka town, see MAP. This not a tourist town, but a real local town. The streets were not clean, but it felt quite safe and welcoming. The first place that we went was the market, where they had just about ant kind of fresh food that you could imagine. and some that you could not recognize. As some of the farms were quite distant and roads may not be the most direct, many of the merchants spent their nights sleeping under their tables. They were predominantly ethnic Indians, as Fijians are not, in general, oriented to commerce. We then went to a supermarket, in case anyone wanted to buy snack foods, etc, and to buy gifts for the school we would visit later. The store was quite busy and crowded and the people friendly, and the prices were quite reasonable. From there, it was off to a gift and souvenir shop. Prices were reasonable and there was no had sell, as happens so often when local people encounter travelers.
Then it was off to a Nayawa Village, within the borders of Sigatowa. Here there was a church, a meeting hall and a small school, and clusters of small houses, with chickens running around loose. Again we had some light rain. We were taken into the meeting hall for a welcoming ceremony and a demonstration of local crafts, which were also for sale at a reasonable price. Shoes were not allowed here or in the houses. As the streets were grass, most of the locals were barefoot anyway. Off to local homes, for home hosted lunches of local foods, seated on the floor and eating with our fingers. The multi-generational family spoke English, so there was conversation about home and village life over the meal. It was a very comfortable experience.
On the way back to Shangri-La, we stopped at the Sigatoka District School, which gets support from the Grand Circle Foundation. The children welcomed us with an assembly and song then took us into their classroom to show off their work and get acquainted. Wherever we go, children are children and are always welcoming. These were no exception. Now back to the hotel, for a Fijian cooking demonstaqrtion that neither of us participated in. After dinner, the evening was free.
After breakfast, we went to Kula Eco Park, GPS(18 12 00.21S, 177 40 47.96E). This privately owned park had beautiful grounds with excellent board walkways up into the forest, many indigenous species and very friendly staff, as well as a nice gift shop with reasonably priced crafts. We had a lecture by the park owner on the ecology of the islands and then a guided tour of the park by his daughter. The had many species indigenous to the various islands of Fiji. .
We arrived back at the hotel at around 1:00 for lunch and a free afternoon to enjoy the resort. That evening, there was a farewell dinner, as those that were not doing the extension were heading for the airport the next day, and those of us heading for the post trip cruise were heading for our ship.
In the morning over breakfast we said our goodbyes, and many of those not going on the cruise came down to see us off on the bus.
